Sample chart and method of fabricating the same



June 25, 1957 A. P. NEER SAMPLE CHART AND METHOD 0F' FABRICATING THE SAME Filed June 28, 1954 United States Pate-m SAMPLE CHART AND METHOD F FABRICATING THE SAME Adolph P. Neer, Glenview, lil.

Application June 28, 1954, Serial No. 439,563

1 Claim. (Cl. 216-62) This invention relates to the fabrication of `charts and more particularly of Ia chart in which samples of fabric or other air permeable material having different visual characteristics, such as color lor weave, are attached in a predetermined arrangement to a backing at spaces provided thereon for the purpose of displaying such samples in connection with explanatory and advertising information on said backing adjoining said spaces.

A primary object of the invention is to facilitate handling of the samples which are -ordinarily in the form of fabric tabs having the same or different physical dimensions, depending upon the type of chart desired.

ln the prior art practice such fabric samples or tabs having lbeen attached to the back manually by the hand process. Not only is this process laborious and extremely expensive but also it results in a final end product which is unsightly and unclean, it being practically impossible to attach the tabs to the backing in the required symmetrical order without marring the backing with the adhesive.

In some prior art experiences, involving the use of paint sample tabs in the fabrication of paint color charts or in the 'application of labels, a vacuum or suction head has been used to handle the tabs or labels. In such operation the tabs or labels are picked -up from a stack by a vacuum or suction head and delivered to the point of application. This has proven to be entirely ineffective with respect to samples of fabric or air permeable material due to the fact that the head when applied to a stack of fabric tabs frequently fails to pick up the tab or will pick up two or more of such tabs from the top of the stack due to the fact that such tabs are lair permeable.

Many expediencies have been tried to avoid the use of the expensive manual process of lapplying fabric samples to a backing without success.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention has been to afford a simple and economical method -in which fabric or other air permeable tabs may be handled by the use of vacuum in lifting such tabs from stacks thereof.

A more specific object of the invention is to apply air impervious layers to one side of the fabric sections in fixed relation thereto prior to dividing the sections into tabs which are then stacked and moved by Ia suction head from a hopper to a backing for attaching the tabs thereto as by adhesive.

Still another object of the invention is to apply such air impervious layers to the fabric sections by adhesive or by spraying or otherwise coating one side of such sections.

A further object of the invention is to `eliminate any possibility of adhesive penetrating the fabric so as to be visible to a user of the chart.

The invention comprehends a novel chart wherein the air permeable tabs are secured to the backing by adhesive between the backing and the air impermeable layers of the tabs.

f"ice The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the. following specification and the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary lsectional view of fabric having an air impervious layer applied thereto, said layer being partly peeled away from the fabric;

Fig. 2 is a plan View` of the fabric showing in phantom lines a plurality of tabs to be cut therefrom;

Figure 3 is a schematic plan View of apparatus which may be utilized in securing the tabs to their backings, the suction head being partly broken away and being shown at tab 'lifting position in solid lines and at tab gluing position in phantom lines;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the apparatusv It will be understood that the fabric 2 may be of woven or of any other air permeable construction, `and the layer 4 may be secured thereto as by 'an adhesive on either or both of the fabric 2 and layer 4. Or, if desired, the layer 4 may lbe applied in liquid form, as for example by spraying on one side of the fabric 2.

After the layer 4 has been applied to the fabric, the Y latter is cut or otherwise divided into a plurality of segs ments or tabs 6 (Figures 2 and 3). It will be understood that the tabs 6 may be of the same or different sizes and shapes as may be desired.

It will be understood that the foregoing procedure is ordinarily followed with respect to a number of different fabric sections 2, each differing from the other in some manner, as for example, color, texture or weave. Then the tabs 6 formed by cutting each section 2 las above described are loaded or stacked in a pile within a section 8 of a hopper 10, with the layer 4 Iof each tab facing downwardly.

Thus, the various compartments 8 of the hopper 10 are each loaded with a plurality of substantially identical tabs 6, and the tabs in each compartment diier in some preselected nranner from the tabs in other compartments 8, all of which lare illustrated as being of substantially the same size but which may be of varying sizes, shapes and arrangement, depending upon the desired sizes, Ishapes and arrangement of the tabs 6.

A suction head 12 having depending lugs 14 adapted to register with respective compartments 8 is provided with a flexible suction line 16 connected to any suitable source of vacuum, such as a pump. Each lug 14 is provided on its bottom face with one or more air inlets connected t-o the suction line 16. The head is operated, either manually or by suitable apparatus connected to an actuator rod or bar 18.

The head 12 is lowered so that the lugs 14 enter the respective compartments S, whereupon one tab in each compartment is attached by suction to the bottom face of the related lug 14, as best seen in phantom lines at the right of Figure 4. The head 12 is then moved to the right, as seen in said figure, to wipe the layers 4 Vof the tabs against a roller 20, which may be rotatably journaled in :a glue container 22, or may otherwise be supplied with glue or similar adhesive for applying the latter to the layers 4 of the tabs as they are moved by the head Patented June 25,V 1957 12 to the position shown at phantom lines in Figures 3 and 4.

The head is then lowered to press the tabs against a suitable backingV 23 or other member to which the tabs are securedv by the adhesive; whereupon theY vacuum-in the head 12 isY preferably released andthe headL is- Are-y turned tothe position shown at solid lines Iin Figures 3 and 4, in which position the head actuates a -lever24 for ak purpose hereinafterdescribed'.

The lever 24 is fulcrummed at 26 on a frame 28vvhich' supports the hopper 10 and containerl 22, and saidflever is 'connected to a rack 30lwhich -actuates a pinion 32 connected to a nut'33 Athreaded on 'a screvi/"IaSJfor elevating a` platen 34'upon which the stackslof'tabsj areV supportedat their lower ends.y Each time"tlieeheadreturnsto the position shown yat* solid lines in Figures 3j andi?, the Aplaten is elevatedean increment Ato move Vthe 'tabs tov the top of their compartments preparatory to initiation of 'another^ cycle ooperations suchasthat above described. -f

It may be noted that the lever `21tr-is provided' 'with a spring 361er other means-to return the lever to proper position as the headl '12 Vmoves to vthe left, vassliowrrn Figure 4. Thus the lever :24 is returned by thespring to a position `foractu'ation by the 'hea-dupon its-retnm- TheV to theposition'shown `by solid' 'lines' in the drawings; connection of the pinion 32th Ythe nut l336sratchetlike andA accommodatesslidable `rotation of'the pinion relative to the -nut `without lactuating the latter as the spring` returns the lever for the 'purpose labove described.

It will 'be understood; however, that vany conventional means such as-may be utilized to adjust the stacksiof tabs upwardly forl the purpose of periodically restoring the `upper ends ofv the stacks to a predetermined level, such adjusting means forming no part of this invention.

Referring vnowv to Figure 5, Vit'will befseen thatthe novel wherein 'air permeable tabs of fabric or similar material mayl beelectively removed `from stacksV or piles of such tabs by a suction head for securement thereby to a backing in a predetermined arrangement thereon.

While the present invention has been explained and described with reference to specific embodiments of structure, it will be understood, nevertheless, that numerous modifications and variations are susceptible of being in- @Ornor-ated without .departure from the essential.; Spirito:- scope thereof. Accordingly, it is not intended for an understanding of this invention to `be limited by the foregoing description nor by the illustrations in the annexed Lirwfllgs,Y except. :as` indicatedlin the. hereinafter appended claim.

What is claimed as newV and' desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

A method of fabricating a sample chart having la backing to which are adhesively Asecured a `plurality of air permeable tabs of various physical characteristics, said methodJ comprising applying air 'impermeable layers ,tol the'baek sides oa-plurality of segmentslof air permeable material-having respectively, diiTerent physical `characteristics, then cutting said, segments into tabs. and -loading the tabs of-respective segments into separate 'hoppers with the-backsides of said'tabs -facing inwardly of the'hoppers, contacting the outer vsides ofthe tabsin saidhoppers with ports of' a 'suction headgito lift one tab from each hopper, Aapplying adhesive -to the 'ba-ck sides of the tabs carried by the head and then clamping the back sides .of the tabs carried by said 'head against-the backing sheet to adhesively -secure the `last-'mentioned tabs thereto.

Rei'erencesCitedin-the le of this patent UNITED 'STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 30,790 Australiamn.l Dec. 18, 193.1 

